Northeast Greenland National Park

Northeast Greenland National Park is the world’s largest national park, covering the vast northeastern portion of Greenland; it was established in 1974. The park is notable for its very large area of Arctic ice sheet, glaciers and coastal fjord systems.

The protected area contains extensive glaciated interior and long, deeply incised fjords along the coast. Much of the landscape is polar desert and ice cap, with persistent sea ice in many coastal stretches and large ice shelves feeding valley glaciers. Human presence is minimal - only a handful of seasonal research and military outposts operate inside the park.

The park was created by the Danish/Greenland authorities in 1974 to protect the region’s ecosystems and remains under Greenlandic administration. Over time it has seen only limited infrastructure development focused on scientific stations and sovereignty patrols.

Geographically it occupies the northeastern quadrant of Greenland, stretching from the high Arctic coast inland to the ice sheet. There are no permanent settlements; the nearest Greenland population centers lie far to the southwest along the eastern coast.

• Access: Access is highly restricted and logistically complex, normally possible only by ice-strengthened ship or by aircraft charter; visitors typically travel with licensed expedition operators and require permission from Greenlandic authorities.
• Wildlife and climate: Home to key Arctic wildlife including polar bears, Arctic foxes, musk oxen and large seabird colonies, with continuous polar climate and large expanses of permanent ice and glacial terrain.

What to See #

• Station Nord: A very small number of staffed or seasonal outposts exist inside the park, including the northern military/scientific Station Nord which supports weather, military and research operations in the high Arctic.
• Peary Land and coastal fjords: A largely ice-covered high-Arctic region that includes parts of northern coastal areas and interior plateaus such as Peary Land, with glaciers, fjords and polar desert landscapes.